Updated 6:25PM
The 2025 fiscal year budget has been approved!
Both Assemblymen were able to make it home for Shabbos with just enough time to get ready. BH!
Assemblyman Avi Schnall is expected to arrive home 7:51PM!
As the July 1 deadline for passing the New Jersey state budget looms with no deal in sight, the possibility of a Shabbos session in the Statehouse has become a pressing concern for the two Orthodox Jewish members of the Assembly, Avi Schnall and Gary Schaer. This situation raises the likelihood that both assemblymen may have to spend Shabbos in Trenton this week.
Assemblyman Gary Schaer has faced a similar predicament before. In 2007, a budget impasse forced Schaer to remain in the Statehouse for the entire Shabbos, adhering to his religious observance while fulfilling his legislative duties.
In terms of voting, the New Jersey Assembly uses an electronic system. Fortunately, legislative rules allow a staffer to be designated to press the voting button for any legislator who is physically present in the building but unable to do so themselves due to religious observances. This accommodation ensures that both Schnall and Schaer can observe Shabbos without compromising their responsibilities as legislators.
